Two sides of the same coin
by MintyRobe
Summary: Upon receiving a necklace in the mail, Hilary Flora is transported to middle earth. Thorin and company find her wounded during their quest. Gandalf persuades Thorin to bring her with them which does not go down well with him "First a Hobbit, now a girl"
1. Unexpected Gift

She didn't know how long that ray of sunlight had been peeking through the gap in the curtains before it found its way to her face; nor did she know how long it took her to become aware of it. Her mind was fuzzy, the last remnants of a dream being chased away by the realization of her being awake. A small smile graced her lips as she thought back on it. It was a nice dream, something about sitting in a big oak tree in meadow full of flowers but the details are fading fast and the colour starts the drain, melting the scenic picture into nothing. She sighed, allowing her brain to focus and cautiously open one eye quickly feeling the burning on her retinas . The bright spring sunlight cuts the room in half and she saw dust-motes dancing in the wall of light. Pulling the duvet up over her head to keep it out. Although it does not work, her brain was awake and there was nothing to do.

"Hilary?" she heard a voice call from the other side of the door. Letting a groan escape her mouth she brought her hand sleepily over her face. From the sound of the voice it sounded refreshed and alert showing the person was awake for awhile. What time was it? Turning her head to look at the clock showing the digits in luminous red she sighed.

Two in the afternoon

There was no use in panicking, she was already four hours late for class. Making a mental note to herself to ring later explaining terminal illness. Footsteps outside her door drew nearer and nearer until they stopped and were replaced with a gentle knocking on the door.

"Come in" Hilary called kicking her feet out of the blankets and resting the on the floor. Her toes curled around the soft fabric which tickled her. The door creaked open and a hand entered first, searching the wall for a light switch. The light above flickered slightly and blasted the room with it's brightness.

"Whoa!" she groaned covering her eyes with her hand. A blonde head moved around the door smiling at Hilary rubbing her eyes.

"Good afternoon to you too" said the blonde walking across the room and opening the heavy curtains allowing natural light in "You slept in again"

Hilary moved her hand through her tangled brown hair and sighed "I know"

"This is the fourth time this week"

"I know"

The blonde tutted "You are missing a lot of classes, Mr Fitzgerald is quite worried about you"

"I know" Hilary snapped, standing up and moving towards the mirror. The blonde watched her movements "I haven't been sleeping well" she said looking at her reflection. Her brown hair was tangled together making her look wild. The blue in her eyes was hard to see with the red veins flowing across them and her skin was faded almost like sand

As Hilary began to brush her hair the blonde spoke, picking up the discarded books tossed about the room carelessly "We better get you to a doctor. You look ill"

"I don't need a doctor Claudia, I need rest but that seems to be impossible with all this noise" she said pointing out the window where car horns could be heard and the daily traffic argument was boiling up "Twenty four seven"

"You can tell you're from the country" Claudia snorted and went over to her friend and took the brush from her hand taking over the job "Well, how about you stay home for the rest of the week and I'll handle shopping and all of the things you do so you can try and get back into a healthy rhythm?"

"Thanks" whispered Hilary "I appreciate it"

"Oh before I forget!" Claudia jumped putting the brush down and moving over the the book shelf and picked up a brown packet "This came for you in the mail along with some postcards from John in Italy" she said handing the packet and cards down the Hilary. Flickering through the cards she read the messages from her friend. She placed them on the table when she finished and started to rip open the tightly concealed package with her hands. Once she got through all of the outer layer she saw a small glass box with small gems placed along the side.

"John must have sent it over from Italy" Claudia guessed, her voice glum on not receiving a gift from her friend. Hilary clicked open the sides and the top pulled itself upwards revealing the contents. She gasped at what she saw. She reached her hand in and pulled out a necklace. The stones shone multicolored light and twinkled as she moved her hand into the light.

"This is too expensive for John to buy" Hilary said as she looked deeper into the gem "Are you sure no other letter came with this?" she asked Claudia who was looking at the gem longingly but snapped out of her trance once Hilary spoke. Shaking her head "No, but I only picked up what was in front of me, I'll go look now" and with that she left the room. The pitter patter of her feet sounded down the hall.

While she was away Hilary unclipped the back of the chain and brought it around her neck. Once it was fully clasped at the back she moved to look at the rock in the reflection and smiled. Beautiful, just beautiful was all she could think of how to describe it. Although that thought did not last long.

Instead it was replaced by a burning sensation on her skin under the gem. She thought on removing it but as she tugged and tugged the necklace wouldn't budge and the heat only rose quicker. She backed up, tripping over the stool and fell to the carpet, clutching at her neck leaving obvious nail marks. She tried to raise her voice but she found she could not speak, nor scream. Inside she called out to Claudia who was still searching for a letter outside not aware of the scene that was happening the in room which she just left. Soon all faded. No pain, no Claudia, no nothing.

She was falling

* * *

**A/N- Very important! I have decided to re-write this whole story. I was reading back on it a few days ago and cringed at the writing style so now I am re-writing everything. It will still be the same story only different and the writing will be up to standard :)**


	2. Understood

"We will make camp here" Thorin ordered as he jumped off his pony. Bilbo sighed with relief; he hadn't slept well at all for the past few nights from the cold night air and bug's crawling all over him as he lay on the mucky soil.

"Bilbo, my dear Hobbit" Gandalf called "I am in the mood for something other than just meat, go and see if there are any mushrooms in the field" Bilbo nodded and walked away leaving the company to unpack their belongings.

A cold wind blew mercilessly across the field which caused the Hobbit to hug his coat tighter around his waist. He hunched over to get a better look at the ground

"Hm nettles…. No, Borage leaves….No, Comfrey, not a chance" Bilbo searched for a few more minutes but was unfortunate. He wandered into the forest to search as there would be more of a chance to find mushrooms growing in there. He grinned to himself as he entered a clearing where the moon was shining through the tree's. Surrounding the base of a large Oak tree in the middle of the clearing he spotted the round heads of mushrooms popping out from the earth. With a slight hop in his step he walked over to them. He knew that the other Dwarves thought that he was a waste of space but as soon as he returned with a dozen of these they would certainly praise them. Rubbing his hands together he knelt down and began plucking the mushrooms out of the soil. Humming a merry tune as he worked, placing mushrooms one by one into his coat pocket.

After a while the humming died down and his ear's twitched at an unknown sound. Chills ran up his spine as he slowly stopped his tuneful hum.

The sound of leaves crunching

Without knowing what the sound was he shook with fright. Ever so slowly he tilted his head to look over his shoulder.

He let out a slight yelp when he saw a human hand from under the bushes. He bounced to his feet unsure of what to do, he didn't want to run back to Thorin and tell him that there was a human in the forest; Thorin would think of him as a coward, not daring to do anything by himself. Building up his courage, he took in a deep breath and crept silently over to the bushes. He pushed a few branches out of the way and his eyes widened.

It was a girl

A human girl

He gasped and instinctively knelt down at her side. The first thing he noticed was that she was oddly dressed, fuzzy multi coloured socks were clinging to her ankles and it seemed that her undergarments were on show as the cloth only went past her thighs. As the respectable Hobbit he was he averted his gaze onto her upper half. The sweater she was wearing was baggy and grey but it was ripped and there was a dark patch of red underneath which made his mouth dry in shock.

Deciding it was time to call for help he called through the tree's in hope his company would hear his panicked cry "H-h-help!".

He shook the girl by her shoulders slightly "Are you okay?" he asked hoping for a reply. She was unresponsive, but breathing, which was a good sign although it was uneasy as her stomach rose and fell too quickly "Don't worry, help is coming"

Bilbo soon heard the stomping of feet coming his way

"Halfling!" he heard Bofur call out.

"I'm here!" Bilbo called back "Oh please hurry" he whispered to himself

Fili and Kili were the first to run through the trees

"Bilbo what's wro-" Kili stopped when he noticed a bleeding figure laying down in the earth "Oh no" he whispered as he rushed over to the Hobbits side and knelt down beside them.

"What happened?" Fili questioned as he joined his brother.

"I-I don't know I was out collecting mushrooms for Gandalf in the field but fortunately I was unlucky so I went into the forest where I found the most beautiful, fully grown mushrooms, I can say I ne"

"Out with it Bilbo!" The dwarf brothers shouted in unison

"I saw the girl from where I sat and when I noticed that she was injured I called for help, that's all I can tell you for that's all I know!"

Thorin, Gandalf and the rest of the dwarves came bustling through the trees next. Gandalf paled at the sight of the girl.

"What is the meaning of this Burglar?" Thorin inquired.

"He said he found the girl here and she is injured and is in need of medical attention!" Fili answered his uncle quickly. Thorin walked over and sneered at the sight of her, noticing the revealing garments she wore "A common whore from the village of Bree" he said "Must have run away from the brothel"

"Do not jump to conclusions Thorin" Gandalf entered taking a few steps closer to the group "Obviously she has been attacked and if the attacker is near we are also in danger and she may be able to identify who or what they were"

"Kili, carry her back to camp" Thorin grumbled and turned to leave. Kili lifted the girl slowly into his arms. As they walked back to the camp the moon allowed him to get a better look at her. Dark purple bruises were running down her arms and legs and even her face. Levees were tangled in her brunette hair and some bit's were stuck to the shallow cut's that she had on her cheeks. Kili moved slowly so he wouldn't affect her breathing which was already uneasy but he wouldn't risk making it worse.

* * *

Back at the camp Kili knelt down by the fire and gently lay her on his sleeping mat that Bilbo had unpacked for their arrival. Gandalf and Oin walked over to her with a damp cloth, a bowl of water and a small vile that he pulled out of his cloak and knelt beside her and mumbled a thank you to Kili.

"How bad is she?" Kili asked the elders as he moved a strand of her out of their way. They didn't reply, instead Gandalf chose to wring out a rag that had been soaking in the bowl beside him. He began to dab the dirt away from her face. The swelling in her face was slowly going down, however the bruises were still an ugly purple. Kili sighed in acknowledgement when neither replied "So it is bad"

"That remains to be seen" Gandalf finally answered and picked up the vile, his shaky fingers were fumbling with the lid so Oin helped by taking the vile and popping the lid open with his thumb, he helped Gandalf pour the green liquid onto the damp rag and rubbed it in.

"It will help stop infection, though it will sting" Gandalf said suddenly when he noticed Kili studying the vile for any markings. Steadily he turned the girls head to face him and started to dab the cut that she received on her neck. Kili looked at her with regretful eyes as Gandalf began to disinfect the cuts. The girls body jerked in pain and a strangled gasp came from her.

Gandalf fits clenched in frustration and more water fell from the cloth and landed on her neck.

"Pass me my bag of witch hazel if you would Oin?" asked Gandalf to the elder dwarf. Oin complied and handed the bag to the wizard "Oin, if you would lift her sweater up a bit please" A faint blush crept upon Oin's face. The girl was already showing too much skin as it was.

The elder dwarf complied and lifted her sweater and stopped after the wound in her stomach "She was stabbed" Balin said peering over Gandalf's shoulder.

He was right.

Gandalf stuck the witch hazel into his mouth and chewed on it until it became mush. He rubbed some onto his finger and began to run it onto the girls wound.

It seemed like a lifetime for the dwarves but soon the wound was becoming fainter and fainter. Gandalf's shoulders relaxed as he let out a breath that he seemed to be holding in for some time. Kili took off his fur cape and covered the girl from the cold and also for modesty.

"Will she be well soon?" Bilbo's tiny voice called from his mat.

"She will be soon Master Hobbit, witches hazel is quite strong not as strong as Embies Wood-oak but it works well in situations like these. We were lucky that the wound was not as bad. If her attacker went deeper she would be far from our help by now" Gandalf answered

"Who do you suppose did this to her?" Balin asked

"I do not know" Gandalf sighed pouring himself some of the stew that was left over.

"One of you must stand watch over her, if her attacker knows she is alive they may want to finish her off" Thorin ordered

"I will stand watch over the girl" Gandalf said "And maybe if Master Balin would as well that would be quite nice"

"As you wish, Gandalf may take the first watch but if she is not awake by tomorrow we shall move on without her. She would certainly slow us down" Thorin said looking up at Gandalf. Gandalf thought for a moment before looking down at the Dwarf king

"Agreed?" Thorin asked impatiently

Gandalf sighed "Agreed"


	3. Violent words

Hilary felt as though she was ripping the skin off of her eyes as she forced them open. She lifted her hand to her face and wiped the dried crust out of her eyes. Her mouth was dry so she smacked her lips a few times with her tongue to add moisture to them. Flexing her hand she ran her fingers along the ground, feeling the tickling feeling of something.

She probably should know what it was, but she couldn't recall.

Everything was blurry and muffled. When her eyes were crust free she looked around. Her surroundings were unclear, everything was blurry.

There were tall shadows surrounding her but she couldn't make out what they were. To her left she noticed a dim orange/red glow and heat was radiating off of it; that she knew to be a fire.

What was on fire?

Someone must have started it.

Soon everything was getting back into focus. She was in a forest which was dark enough; she probably wouldn't have been able to see at all if it wasn't for the dimming light of the fire. She glanced around and saw that she wasn't alone. There were fourteen figures sleeping beside the fire. Using her thumb and index finger she massaged the lids of her closed eyes when she noticed that her vision was going fuzzy again.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder

"Ah you're awake! Praise the powers" A shaky voice cried behind her. She jumped but then grabbed her stomach in pain. Her memory flashed as she recalled the sharp sting on her abdomen caused by rustic metal.

"Oh I say are you alright?" the shaky voice asked concerned. The owner of the voice came around and bent down to her level. He was an old man with a white beard trailing down his chest. He obviously saw the fear in her eyes and took a step back "It's alright young one I am not going to hurt you, nor are any of these men" he added after he saw her eyes shift nervously towards the other dwarves "we found you in the forest across from our campsite and we brought you back to heal you"

Hilary stared at the old man, her silence making him sift uncomfortably "Ah I am being rude forgive my manners, Balin at your service" he nodded politely extending his hand out for her

Balin waited for her to reply, seeing her throat move up and down he knew she was struggling to speak "Hilary" she eventually croaked out, although she kept her hand on her stomach refusing to shake his. She rubbed her throat at the slight burn it caused

"Ah Hilary" he tilted his head "beautiful name, I have never heard of a name like that before; tell me where do you hail from?"

"Em England, London"

Balin's eyes narrowed "I do not believe that I have heard of this England London" he peered at her from beneath his bushy eyebrows

Hilary shook her head "Where am I?"

"I believe we are south of Bree by now" he answered

"Bree?"

"My dear girl you are lost" he chuckled "Bree is west of the Shire"

This only caused her to furrow her eyebrows together in confusion, all of this seemed so foreign. Yes, everything was so strange. The only other thing bugging her was, why was she here? She didn't know but she didn't want to be here, that she knew.

The sound of leaves crunching from the other side of the camp pulled her out of her thoughts.

"I see she is awake"

"Yes Thorin and she seems well but a little shaky" Balin answered the dwarf king. Hilary looked up and saw a younger man looking down at her. He also had a beard not as impressive as Balin's but shorter and black. His blue eyes were looking her up and down making her uncomfortable.

"So does the whore have a name?" he asked. Hilary flinched at the word and looked up to stare at him.

"Aye sir her name is Hilary from England London, that's all I found out" Balin answered

Thorin scoffed "She is lying there are no cities called England London here and what kind of name is Hilary? I have never heard such a name" Hilary didn't know why this man was being so rude first he called her a whore then a liar and now he was insulting her name. He knelt down to her level and grabbed hold of her shoulders, she let out a painful gasp "Now tell me where you are really from and don't lie"

Hilary could feel tears stream down her cheek from the pain in her shoulders and stomach and also the mans threats.

"You're hurting me stop!" she cried while choking on her tears. Thorin softened his grip on her put did not let her go. Her cries of pain woke the rest of the dwarves up.

Gandalf came over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder..

"She is telling the truth Thorin she is not from here. She is not from this world even"

"What do you mean wizard?" Thorin inquired, confused about the sudden information.

"She is from a different time. She is born of man, she is harmless and you have no right to treat her like a beggar on the streets!"

"How do you know of this?"

Gandalf let out a heavy exhale

"Because master dwarf, I am the one who brought her here" Gandalf admitted. The dwarves stared at him in silence. Hilary moved her head to face him

"What?" she whispered. He nodded sadly. Despite the pain she was in she forced her way out of his grip and stood up with some help from Balin. She turned

"You brought me here!" she croaked. Hilary began putting two and two together when she thought back to the nameless parcel "The necklace in the mail, was that from you?" Gandalf nodded again. The dwarves around her were watching her with interest. She pulled hard on the chain around her neck "If I break it, will it send me home!" she yelled finally. Gandalf's eyes widened and he jumped up  
"No you are connected to it, if you break if you will die"

Hilary bit her lip and stomped the ground trying to hold back tears but was failing at it

"Great, bloody great!" The dwarves around her murmured to each other about how a young lady shouldn't swear like that.

"Miss Hilary please calm down, youre wound will start to hu-" Balin said

"How the hell can I!" she yelled at him, he jumped back in shock.

"Look, I'm sorry but you must understand that this is terrifying for me. I am taken far from my home and I got stabbed but some creature riding a giant wolf"

"Wait, how would you describe the creatures that were riding on the animal" Thorin asked anxiously.

Hilary shrugged "Moldy, beady eyes, in need of dental care"

The dwarves muttered to each other.

"That was an Orc pack, we are being hunted" Bofur cried. Thorin glared at the confused girl

"And you are probably bringing them to us!"

"What?!" she protested "What would they want with me?"

"You are from another world, they probably want to capture you so they can find out a way to enter your world and reek havoc" Balin answered

"Well that's not my fault now is it?" Hilary said glancing at Gandalf

"Pack up everything, show no trace of us being here. We will ride at dawn" Thorin ordered. The dwarves began running around the campsite cleaning up everything.

"Where are we going?" Hilary questioned. Thorin turned around to face the young woman

"_We_ are moving forward but _you_ are staying here. You have brought us enough trouble as it is. Wasting our medical supplies and a good nights sleep"

"You can't just leave me here; I don't know where I am and especially if those things that you mentioned are after me I surely won't make it through the night" Thorin lent in closer to the girl

"That's not my problem now is it?" he said coldly

"Well it is certainly my problem Thorin" Gandalf said walking over to them with his staff "I brought her here and I will take full responsibility for her"

Thorin looked up at Gandalf and then back to the blue eyed beauty "Fine but if she does anything to bring us misfortune on your head be it" he finished and walked off.

Gandalf walked over to Hilary and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She quickly brushed it off and turned to look at him

"Why did you bring me here?" she questioned

"That question will be answered soon enough my dear" he answered. He took the necklace out of her hand and with a rub of his fingers on the broken chain it was fixed.

"How did you do that?" she asked looking at the fixed chain.

He chuckled and patted her hair "I can do more than fix a broken chain you know"

"So I can see"

Gandalf ignored her comment "But for now keep this close to you" he said putting the necklace around her neck.

He smiled and walked away. Hilary was left there watching the men hustle and bustle around each other to get everything packed before dawn. As she watched she noticed that these men were not as tall as Gandalf and that only most of them reached his elbows while others were only waist height. She did notice a man who seemed smaller than the rest of them, his size seemed to be equivalent to a five year old. He was being pushed around because no one could see he was there.

A tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She turned and saw a man that seemed to be around her age though he was the same height as her.

"Kili at you service" he introduced himself and bowed picking up her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"Hilary" she responded pulling her hand away uncomfortably

"I noticed your clothes are not suitable for the journey so I brought you the smallest clothing I have and a belt to tighten them" he said pushing the bundle of clothes into her hands "You can change behind the boulder over there, I will make sure no one bothers you" he said with a sly smile. Hilary smiled back and began to walk to the boulder

"Thanks you" she said simply and walked over to the boulder

She went behind the boulder and changed into the clothes Kili gave her. They were loose at first until she tightened the belt. She walked out to join the others but they were giving her odd and disapproving looks.

"You will be riding with me" Kili said leading her over to his pony. He hoisted himself up over the saddle and held out his hand for her to grab. She hesitantly grabbed it and was immediately pulled up onto the saddle

"We're off" Thorin said tapping his horse's side with his foot to get it to move. The rest followed him over the hills


	4. Different

Thorin glanced back down the line of horses to his youngest nephew Kili and the girl, Hilary whose arms were wrapped tightly around his waist much to Kili's enjoyment. Fili was riding beside them talking away to her much to Kili's displeasure. This is why Thorin was against bringing her along. She would be flaunting her brown curls and batting her eyes at them which would end up distracting them. Thorin heard her laugh which made Fili put his hand over his heart and sighed

"Your laugh floats through the air like a melody of harps and makes the gods above smile". Thorin noticed her redden before turning her face away. Kili glared at his brother causing Fili to give him a smug smile.

"She is quite a character isn't she" chuckled Gandalf who rode up beside Thorin. Thorin turned to glare at Gandalf

"Quite" he said shortly "Will you tell me your reason for bringing her here?"

"The time is not right Thorin" Gandalf answered.

"Will it ever be the right time?" Thorin snapped "This is my quest Gandalf, she is already distracting my men" he said nodding to Fili and Kili who were now showing off their swords they retrieved in battle to her "She is a liability, first a Hobbit and now a girl"

"Time will change your opinion of them"

Thorin snorted "And how do you know this? We barley know the Halfling and the Human"

Gandalf smiled down at the Dwarf "Looking. That is the answer"

A warm lavender and orange glow canvassed the west sky. The sky grew darker as it stretched from one end to the other. Hilary huddled in tighter to Kili's back seeking warmth from his fur cloak. The clothes he gave her were not the best insulators. She watched the sun lay to rest. It disappeared behind the thin horizon. She had never seen anything so beautiful. She lived her whole life in big cities never seeing a proper sunset. Unless you count the times she saw them in movies. It was even hard to make out the stars with all the pollution in the air. During the journey she thought of home, of her friends and her Mother. She hated to think of the pain her Mother was going through when she heard of Hilary's disappearance.

At the age of two she lost her father at sea, so she was told. Ever since then her Mother seemed to lose her light.

The photos Hilary found of her parents together were interesting. Her Mother's smile was brighter and real not like it is now which is small and forced. Hilary never knew her Father but from the stories her Mom told her she wished she had.

"My Lady?" Kili's voice interpreted her thoughts

"Hmm?" She answered

"Are you well, you have been quiet for a long time" he chuckled.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just never seen a real sunset before" she answered without thinking. Kili turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. She was looking at the tree tops just where the sun set only moments ago.

"You never? Why is that?" he asked astonished

"I grew up in a city where the buildings are high and are lit by artificial light. You would never look out the window because you would only see building after building and on the occasion drunken people throwing up onto the road"

"That sounds horrible, even as a child your Father never took you out to the woods?" Kili asked interested

"He died a long time ago"

"My lady I am sorry to cause you pain"

"It's okay, I never knew him"

They remained quiet for the rest of the journey until Kili saw Thorin jump off his horse. "We will be making camp here" he whispered to Hilary. She nodded in response silently thanking God because she was tired and was ready to collapse. Kili jumped off his horse and turned to help Hilary down. She helped him unpack the horse and walked over to the campsite. The Hobbit known as Bilbo was kneeling over a rock beside the fire and was chopping mushrooms on the smooth surface. He looked up and smiled as he saw Hilary approach

"Ah Miss Hilary, I do hope you like mushrooms" he said hopefully

"Thank you and yes I do like mushrooms" she smiled back as she sat down beside him "Need a hand?"

"I-I suppose you could help me chop the food? Would that be alright?" he answered nervously.

"I see no problem in that" she replied kindly. They got busy cooking the stew which consisted of more meat than vegetables. After a few minutes of comfortable silence between them Bilbo asked

"Is it true what the dwarves say?"

Hilary gave him a confused look "Care to clarify?"

Putting down his utensils her turned to look at her "So is it true that you are from another world?" he asked slowly

"Apparently so" she answered

"I see" he paused "what's it like there?" The Dwarves heard this and turned to listen. Hilary looked around at the surroundings. The luscious green trees not affected by acid rain, the stars that shown brightly in the cloudless sky and not being dimmed down by street lights, the sounds of owls and crickets and not angry taxi drivers or people fighting in the streets after losing a football match, the river below glowing in the light of the stars and not green and shopping trolley free. She looked back up to the awaiting dwarfs

"Different" she said shortly


	5. Who's there?

_Hilary walked through the dark forest being guided by the moonlight. She was shivering; the cold wind blew over her bare legs. The forest was quiet, there were no sounds. When an owl flew from the trees she dropped to the ground and covered her head, she was shaken from the sudden noise. She walked for what seems like hours, the bright, multicolored socks she was wearing were now black and had holes in them allowing stones to dig themselves into her skin_

_She walked further into the forest and tripped over a root of a large oak tree. She fell down the hill yelling in pain as the thorns and stones dug deep into her. Something hard stopped her fall; she thanked the gods that the pain stopped. She looked up to see what stopped her fall. A pair of glowing red eyes was looking down at her. She screamed and scrambled to her feet as quickly as her injured body would let her. She noticed there was something riding on top of the beast. She got a better look and noticed the molding grey skin, the small black beady eyes and the sharp object in its hand. Her brain sent a message down to her wobbly legs telling her to run, run faster than the speed of light. She turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction. Soon enough she could hear the paws of the beast charging after her and it was gaining quickly. The once silent forest was now filled with her pleas for help, the paws of the beast and the rider shouting something in a weird language. She entered a small clearing in the woods and tripped over a stone pepping out of the soil. She fell to the ground and turned to see the beast was about to pounce on her. She covered her face with her hands to shield herself of the sight of the beast's teeth. The rider ran his sword right through her stomach causing her to scream in pain. _

"_NO!" she screamed as she heard the rider laugh with satisfaction. She pressed her hands onto the chest of the beast trying to keep it from tearing her head off. A bright light shawn in front of her and she heard a yelp from the beast. The fur she was pushing away was now gone. Before she could question she fell back and let the darkness consume her. _

Hilary jolted up from the ground, breathing heavily. She looked around her and sighed in relief, she wasn't lying on the cold, dark forest floor bleeding to death. She was sitting in a warm campsite surrounded by dwarves who could protect her from the rider and beast.

"Lady Hilary? Are you well? You are snow white!" Ori said behind her nervously. Hilary first had to think of the irony of a dwarf calling her snow white

"Yeah Ori I'm fine, just a bad dream is all"  
"Would you like to talk about it my lady?"

Hilary turned and smiled at him which made him turn as red as a tomato "Thanks Ori but I think I'm going to get some air, it's kinda claustrophobic here" she said pulling at her collar. She offered him one last smile before getting up and walking over to the cliffs edge and sat down. She thought back to her dream, what was that light that she saw? What made the horrifying beast who was about to tear her to pieces run away? Hilary put her head on her knees

"_What is going on?" _she pleaded for an answer_  
_

"_Do not fear the water, the water is not what took your fathers life"_ a misty voice echoed. Hilary lifted her head and looked around the campsite only to see the dwarves sitting around the fire telling war stories. None of the dwarves would have spoken like that

"Who's there?" Hilary whispered looking around her for any sign of movement. There was no answer.

Gandalf looked up from the steaming bowl of stew to see Hilary over at the cliffs edge; she glanced over at the dwarves unaware of Gandalf watching her she mouthed "Who's there?" Gandalf straightened his back and silently cleared his throat. The corners of his lips were tugging into a smile. He knew that they would not be able to stay away from her for too long.

_A/N- Hey guy's Merry Christmas! I was up so I decided to write a small chapter. I know you guys are eager to find out why Gandalf brought her here but trust me it is worth the wait __ I want to thank everyone who reviewed and who marked it as favorite. I will probably update on the 28__th__ because my sister is home for a few days and this is the only time I get to see her. I hope you all have a wonderful and happy Christmas. _


	6. Images

Giving up finding the person who owned the mysterious voice Hilary walked back to her sleeping mat that Nori owned, he didn't need it because he was taking first watch. Most of the dwarves retired for the night but some sat up braiding their beards and stargazing. Hilary lay on the mat looking up at the sky. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep that night for two reasons

1 Bombour was sleeping beside her and his snoring was loud enough to wake the dragon Smaug

2 Her mind was running a mile a minute. The voice told her that her Father was not killed at sea and that there was nothing to be afraid of. That wasn't entirely true; there was a fear of finding out the real reason for her Fathers death. What if something worse happened to him? Was he torn apart by one of those wolf beasts that attacked her in the forest?

She closed her eyes as they started to water. Her mind showed her images of these events; they were even more heartbreaking than the story her Mother told her because there was nothing to question, there was no what if he died this way or maybe he was attacked.

A shrill screech in the distance pulled her out of her thoughts. She sat up quickly and faced the direction where the sound came from. Bilbo scurried back to the group pointing in the direction the screech came from

"What was that?"

Hilary looked up at Kili and Fili who gripped their weapons a little tighter "Orcs" Kili whispered, he looked down at Hilary and saw the panic in her eyes he gave her a reassuring smile. Her first meeting with an Orc wasn't the best, well who ever has a pleasant meeting with an Orc anyway?

"Orcs!?" Bilbo exclaimed looking worried

"Throat cutters, there'll be dozens of them out there. The low lands are crawling with them" Fili answered

"They strike in the wee hours of the night, while everyone is asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood" added Kili. Hilary scooted a little bit closer to the young dwarves seeking protection. The two dwarves noticed this and snickered to each other.

"You think it's funny? You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?" Thorin's voice boomed from the shadows. Kili and Fili looked down, the smirks that were once on their faces were gone and was replaced by a gilty frown. Kili looked up apologetically "We didn't mean anything by it, sorry Uncle" he looked down again too ashamed to meet his Uncles glaring gaze. Thorin walked over to the mountains edge "No you don't, you know nothing of the world" he bitterly spoke.

Hilary cocked an eyebrow up at the elder dwarf standing near. Balin noticed her questioning look and made his way over

"Don't worry lassie, Thorin has more reason then most to hate Orcs." There was a pause and soon most of the dwarves woke up and turned to Thorin who was gazing across the tree tops, Balin continued, "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had gotten there first. Moria had been taken by vicious Orcs, led by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler. The giant Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin" Balin glanced over to Thorin before continuing the tale "He began by beheading the king."

Hilary looked over in Thorin's direction, his back was straight and one foot was placed on a rock to give himself more height, the story continued, "Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed, we do not know. We were leaderless. We thought that death was upon us. That is when I saw him." A smile lit up Balin's face and he turned toward Thorin.

"A young dwarf prince, facing down the pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor was wiped off, wielding nothing, but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken."

"The forces rallied. They drove the Orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast nor songs that night for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I can call king." Balin finished looking up at Thorin proudly

Hilary looked up at the dwarf king as he turned around; it was too dark to look at his facial features but she could see him walking through the group of dwarves who stood in his honor. He radiated strength and power as he strode back to his sleeping mat which she noticed was further away from the company.

Hilary looked to Balin and asked "What happened to him? The Pale Orc I mean"

Thorin answered her bitterly "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gandalf looking at her with worry. She met his eye and noticed that he was emotional, a single tear slide down his wrinkly cheek. He gave her a swift nod before turning away from her questioning gaze. _"What's got him so emotional?"_ she thought to herself. She was about to get up and interrogate him but Thorin called out

"Get your rest everyone, we have a long journey a head of us and I do not need my men to be falling asleep if there is an Orc attack. Hilary sighed and lay back down on her mat. She still couldn't shake the images out of her head. In the late hours of the night she finally fell asleep.

* * *

"_I am sorry my Lord, I lost her in the forest my lord. She used her freaky powers on me and the dog, we had to escape or else she would have blasted us into pieces" A slimy voice said. The owner of the voice was kneeling on the ground in front of a large, grey foot. _

"_My Lord we found her trail in a clearing over here" another voice called from the other side of the field. The pale footed creature kicked the side of the white beast he was riding and followed the voice over to the clearing. He could smell her; her scent was intoxicating; he hasn't had one in decades but he could never forget the taste, the power! Another scent filled his nostrils, dwarves. She was riding with a pack of dim-witted dwarves. This was going to be easy. _

_The creature turned to his followers who were waiting on instructions. He raised his sword and yelled "We ride east!"_

**A/N- Yay another chapter done and dusted. I hope you all had a Happy Christmas. I was playing the new resident evil game with my sister, it is amazing! Thank you all for the lovely feedback it really means a lot to me **

**What has Gandalf so emotional? O.o Thanks again love ya! **


	7. Special

Morning came quicker than Hilary would have liked. She was woken by a familiar voice whispering in her ear

"Wake up"

Hilary sat up, pulling her hands over her face. Drawing the sleepy look from it

"Well come on and get breakfast" he grinned. As he walked away he added "And hurry or else Bombur will devour your meal"

Hilary folded the mat up and buckled into Nori's backpack. She shuffled over and joined the dwarves who were sitting around the extinguished fire shovelling their eggs into them. They did not talk while they were eating, the only sound that was heard was the grinding of their teeth and the occasional coughs when someone was choking on their food for eating too quickly (It's was usually Bombur). Bombur rose from the rock and waddled over to the pan and grinned hungrily when he saw that there two eggs left in the pan.

"Bombur" Thorin growled from his stone. The tone he used caused Bombur to frown and turn towards the dwarf king

"Yes Thorin"

"Leave the eggs for the human" Thorin said. Hilary looked up in surprise from her plate (which already consisted of two eggs)

"Thanks... but I think I have enough" she said slowly before looking up at Bombur with a kind smile "Bombur if you want them take them" Bombur's eyes lit up, looking to the king for confirmation.

"Bombur you do not need another helping, think of your pony; any more weight and the creature's back will be sure to break" this comment from Thorin earned a few snickers from the other dwarves "She is too skinny and must keep her energy up" Hilary looked up slightly offended

"You don't have to speak to me in third person I'm right here and I am n"

"I will not take no for an answer" interrupted Thorin who picked up the pan and scrapped the eggs onto her plate. She was about to argue back when she heard a cough beside her, it was Balin. He shook his head implying that it was a bad idea and just deal with it. Hilary sighed in defeat and ate her breakfast. She couldn't finish it though so she quickly (while Thorin wasn't looking) handed the spare egg over to Bombur who thanked her repeatedly.

When they were finished they packed away their belongings. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Kili smiling at her "So will you be accompanying me today?" Hilary smiled, she enjoyed riding with Kili, he was fun to talk to but she glanced over at Gandalf who was strapping his rug sack onto his horse. She needed to ask him questions but she never could find anytime to ask them.

"Actually Kili I am going to ride with Gandalf today, I feel bad for your poor pony who had to carry us both for long miles yesterday" Kili looked down in disappointment

"Understood, Daisy is strong though if you want to change your mind" he grinned

"Right" Hilary grinned before walking over to Gandalf "I'm riding with you today"

Gandalf looked at her amused "Is that a question?"

"I'm riding with you weather you like it or not, you have answers to my questions"

Gandalf looked down at her, his eyes were serious now "I see, I have no objection with you accompanying me today but I will not be able to answer every question that needs answering. I may only give you Yes or No answers for now"

"Fine, better than nothing" she said before mounting his giant brown horse. Gandalf climbed on after her

"I see that young master Kili will be missing your company"

"He'll live"

* * *

Thorin trotted to the top of the line. He was searching the camp for any signs of their stay "We move on"

The company moved forward in a straight line. Hilary was silent for a few moments thinking of the questions she could ask. There were so many she didn't know where to start; also what made it difficult was that he was only going to provide her with Yes/No answers. When they got down the rocky mountain path and onto a forest lane the dwarves cheered happily and started to sing

"_Down the lane we will go_

_On an adventure to reclaim our home_

_Through the forests, over streams_

_To find the land of our dreams" _

Hilary was amazed by how synchronized they all were. She then thought it would be a good time to ask Gandalf the questions while the dwarves were busy singing.

"You brought me here?" she started

"Yes" he answered immediately

"If I break the necklace, I will die?"

"Yes"

"Am I here for a reason?"

"Yes"

"Will I ever find out this _reason_?"

"Yes"

"The story of the Pale Orc, it made you upset?"

He sighed "Yes"

"Did you know Thorin's Grandfather well?"

"No"

"His Father?"

"No"

Hilary thought for a moment, she ran out of questions. She thought he was upset because he was friends with Thorin's elders.

"Did the Pale Orc… kill someone you loved?"

There was a long pause, she immediately felt guilty for asking.

"Yes" he finally said

"I'm sorry, I won't ask anymore questions. I didn't mean to bring back memories" she said quietly

"My dear child it is alright to be curious and as I said earlier that I would answer your questions. There is no harm done" Gandalf reassured her. He turned his head and she saw a curve on his lips "If you have anymore questions feel free to ask"

"I'm alright, you said that I would find out the answers soon and I trust you, if you say it's better that I find out later than it is better. Even though it is annoying"

He chucked at her "You are special, that I can tell you"

She scoffed "Well I already knew that"

* * *

After a few hours of riding Thorin ordered them to let the horses rest for a hour. They rested over by a small stream. Poor Gandalf's horse was ready to collapse from the weight of the Wizard and Hilary. The horse stood in the cold water gulping the cool water down like it had been lost in the desert for months.

"I don't think I should ride with you anymore Gandalf, I feel bad for your horse" Hilary said walking over to the side of the stream and started to pet the nape of his horse.

"You can ride with me Miss Hilary" Ori quietly said looking up from his drawing. The dwarves all turned to look at him in surprise that he would offer himself to her which caused him to look down; too embarrassed to show his red face

"I don't think any of you have to worry about taking turns with her anymore, I see a horse in the field over there" Gandalf said pointing to the field next to them.

"That's a wild horse Gandalf, she would be bucked off for sure" Bofur said picking his teeth from the blueberries he snagged from a nearby bush.

"The charm of a woman is very powerful as you all know" Gandalf said patting her on the head "See if you can get the horse"

Hilary's eyes opened in terror "Wha—No no no you can not make me do this"

Gandalf held up his hand "If you want to find answers, start with the horse" The dwarves looked at him with confusion. She opened her mouth to speak but she did say earlier that she trusted him she couldn't go back on what she said. She turned to walk in the fields direction muttering to herself

"This is not going to go well" She walked over to the fence of the field and jumped over it

"_What answer can a horse give that a wizard can't?"_ She thought to herself.

"Hilary! Come back it is far too dangerous" Thorin called after her. It was odd to hear him call her by her name it was normally human or girl. So she had to be in a life threatening crises to get him to say her name, that doesn't seem right.

The white horse stood only meters away. It was munching on the grass so it didn't notice her presence.

"Er, here horsey" she clicked her tongue alerting the horse of her presence. The horse's eyes shot open and turned to face her. She stumbled back a few steps as it went on its back legs; kicking his front legs in defense In the distance she could hear the arguing of the dwarves of whether they should help her or not. Gandalf was scolding Kili who tried to barge past them to enter the field and run to her rescue.

She looked up and gave the horse a pleading look. He seemed to calm a little. Hilary stood up straight and while to horse was calming down she took this as an opportunity to hold her hands up without frightening the creature. She risked reaching her hand to touch his nose. He stopped fidgeting and automatically bumped his nose into her hand allowing her to stroke him.

"It's okay, I'm not going to harm you" she cooed to the horse keeping eye contact with him. She looked deep into his eyes.

The dwarves behind her were hushing each other looking at the scene with interest

"_I have never seen a wild horse be tamed"_ was the main topic.

"Can I ride you?"

In response the horse knelt down and waited for her to climb onto his back. She smiled and gently threw her leg over the side of the horse. She never rode a horse on her own before but it somehow felt natural to her. She brushed his white mane which was bright and shiny not like the ones the dwarves have who were dirty and smelly from sleeping in the muck. This horse belonged to someone, she hoped they wouldn't mind her borrowing him for a while. The horse stood up and trotted over to the dwarves who were staring at her in awe.

"My Lady, I did not know you could ride and ho-how did you manage to tame a wild creature so fast" Dwalin asked in amazement. These were the first words the dwarf ever spoke to her.

"I honestly don't know" she spotted Gandalf smiling at her proudly as to which she grinned back


	8. Exciting enough?

The company rode down the forest lane in single file for the lane was narrow which could only fit one horse at a time. Hilary rode at the back of the queue; the white stallion she was riding was not yet comfortable in the presence of the dwarves. Gloin made the mistake of getting too close to the creature which ended up with Gloin receiving a kick to his nether regions; if he wasn't wearing his armor at the time he probably would not be able to produce any children in the future. The nameless horse was difficult to manage; it seemed he liked to lead. Every so often she had to tug on his main in order to stop him from bolting up to the front of the line. The reason the horse remained nameless was because he belonged to someone so it didn't feel right renaming him, the poor horse would be confused. He must have escaped from his owner and traveled a long way because according to Gandalf no one lives in these parts anymore. He mustn't have had human contact in a while

Hilary felt relaxed riding at the back because no one spoke to her. Kili and Fili were behind and in front of Bilbo and were asking him questions about the shire and if he had a _lassie_ at home waiting for his triumphant return. This question made Bilbo stutter and soon he changed to topic. Ori was riding in front of Hilary, he wasn't very chatty, he sat back in his saddle and starts sketches the area around him.

Hilary stoked the sliver mane of the beautiful creature she was riding. She couldn't help grin at the fact that she tamed this wild animal. She was amazed by it, she never saw a horse this stunning back home. Even the energy that came off him was amazing, the rest of the horses who were usually frisky during the journey were now calm they stood up straighter in his presence which made them easier to ride. She also felt different, ever since she meet the creature she felt lighter, calmer.

"The sun will be setting soon we will make camp here tonight" Thorin called from the top of the line. As Hilary turned the corner she saw a broken down cottage surrounded by weeds sprouting out of the ground around it and ivy clinging to the broken stone walls. Hilary dismounted from her sliver beauty onto a large rock; he was far too big for her. She picked up her coat that she used for a saddle and brushed it down trying to get rid of the sliver horse hair. She felt someone brush passed her quickly. She looked up to see Gandalf storming down the lane

"Gandalf, where are you going!?" cried Bilbo causing the rest of the company to watch the scene.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense" Gandalf answered

"Who is that?" Bilbo asked innocently

"Myself master Baggins!" Gandalf yelled before muttering "I have had enough of dwarves for one day"

Hilary looked back at the dwarves for help but they were busy talking amongst themselves "What will we do without Mister Gandalf". Hilary was about to run after him and beg him to stay until Thorin called after her "Hilary help Fili and Kili bring the horses into the field"

Hilary jogged up to Thorin "Shouldn't we go after him, it's all most dark" she said worriedly but Thorin stared blankly at her "Who knows what are in these woods, dangerous animals would see Gandalf as a free meal"

"The wizard will be fine, I am sure he can take care of himself" he said before walking over to Fili and Kili and handing his horses reigns over to them.

* * *

Hilary returned to camp after looking for firewood in the woods nearby. Dinner was being served and the dwarves hustled and bustled around the fire pouring their meals into their bowls. She noticed that Gandalf had not yet returned which made her paranoid. What if something got him? He may be injured and they weren't looking for him.

"It's been a long time, where is Gandalf?" she muttered to herself as she added more wood to the fire to keep it ablaze but Bofur heard her

"Don't worry lassie, Gandalf is a wizard and a powerful one. I'm sure he can handle himself" Bofur reassured her handing her two bowls of stew "Be a dear and take these to the lads" She nodded in response and noticed Bilbo sitting on a log all by himself.

"Hey Bilbo!" she called over to him. He looked up and smiled warmly at her "I'm taking some food over to the guys, want to come?"

"Oh yes" he said jumping up from the log and brushing his trousers down before making his way over to her "For a quest it is pretty boring, not really doing anything"

"I suppose but when the danger starts you will wish you were back sitting on a log all day"

He chuckled nervously "I guess you're right"

They both trudged up the hill carrying the bowls of warm stew. The chatted along the way. Bilbo talked about his home called the Shire; it was a peaceful place where the ever-green fields stretched for miles and miles and where the best ale was brewed and the best pipe weed was made. He spoke of Bag-End and how he used to sit outside on the steps wearing his robe and smoking his pipe as he watched the sunset below the hills.

"I would like to visit it someday, to get away from all the noise of the city" she said

"You would be welcomed with open arms if you were to visit. Tea is at four. Not that many big folk enter The Shire though, we would be normally suspicious if there were" he said jumping over a puddle that he almost stepped in "How are you settling in? You never speak much of your world"

"Well I guess there is nothing to say, I am here, I can't do anything about that. I don't speak of my world because it would be hard to explain to you all" she answered honestly. Bilbo looked down puzzled before asking

"You seemed to have grasped our ways very quickly; surely it's not all different?"

"Well there was a time when people lived like this, but that was over hundreds of years ago. We have invented new technology. Also new fashion you remember my clothes from the first time you saw me?"

He looked down embarrassed as he remembered her bare legs "Yes, you were hardly dressed for a Lady"

Hilary giggled "Well women wear clothes like that. It's not a big deal that our legs are showing"

"Women wear those garments in public?" Bilbo gasped looking horrified

"Well I was in my sleeping clothes at the time" she answered trying to keep a straight face "But yeah, that's fashion for you in my world" Bilbo was obviously too stunned to say anything else on the matter so they walked in silence for the rest of the way. They spotted Fili and Kili standing with their backs turned to them.

"Guy's dinner time" Hilary called tapping the side of a bowl with a spoon trying to get their attention as she walked over to them. They didn't respond but they kept looking at the field in front of them where the horses were eating. Hilary and Bilbo walked in between them handing them their bowls. When they didn't take them Bilbo asked

"What's the matter?"

"We're supposed to be looking after the horses" swallowed Kili nervously.

"Only we've encountered a slight problem" Fili replied after his brother. Hilary and Bilbo looked into the field curiously

"We had seventeen" Fili said

"Now there's fifteen" breathed Kili.

* * *

The group searched deeper into the field, looking for the two lost horses. Hilary sighed with relief that her horse was still there.

"Daisy and Bungle are missing" Kili said walking over to Hilary. Bilbo nervously called from behind him "This is bad, shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

Fili answered uneasily "Ah- better not worry him"

"We would be stuck on dishes duty until the end of the journey" Kili said. Before turning to Bilbo "We thought as our official Burglar, you might want to look into it"

Bilbo swallowed nervously before clapping his hands together and walking over to a few damaged trees "It looks like something big has run into these trees" he said caressing a broken trunk of a tree "Something very big and possible quite dangerous" he gulped. Hilary put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a red flickering light further in the forest.

"Hey guys" she said pointing to the light "There's a light over there".

The group crouched behind a fallen tree trunk eyeing the light cautiously. They heard a loud sneeze coming near the light followed by laughter.

"What the hell?" Hilary whispered

"Trolls" Kili answered jumping over the trunk and running stealthily over to another tree. The rest followed him being as quiet as they could. Behind them they could hear loud footsteps thumping on the ground. Kili reached out from his hiding place and pulled Hilary by the sleeve of her shirt down to him. From their spot they could see a giant troll barging through the trees carrying two protesting horses. Bilbo's mouth fell open; turning to them mortified "He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they are going to eat them, we must do something quick!"

Kili and Fili shared a look before nodding in agreement "Yes _**you**_ should do something" Fili said pushing Bilbo out of their hiding spot before Kili continued "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid and you are so small and smart. They'll never see you its perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you"

Bilbo still looked unsure. Hilary sighed before standing up with Bilbo "I'll go with you okay" she knew this was a bad idea but she couldn't send poor Bilbo off to his death without any help, even if she was useless at fighting. Kili gripped her arm

"Hilary it is too dangerous for you, you will be seen"

"Like this whole quest isn't dangerous? And I won't be seen I'm not that big, if anything goes wrong I can run fast trust me" she argued with pleading eyes "You can't expect to send Bilbo out there all by himself!"

The brothers looked down unsure "Are you sure?" Fili asked giving her a questioning look

"Positive" she answered simply as she gripped Bilbo's small hand in hers.

"Okay, if you run into trouble hoot twice like a barn owl then once like a brown owl" Fili instructed to them. Bilbo started moving forward repeating the instructions. Kili gently put a hand on Hilary's shoulder and gave her a small smile "Be careful out there we are going to get help because by the looks of it we are going to need it, oh and take this" he reached into his belt and pulled out a dagger "Better safe than sorry" he said before running off with Fili towards the camp. Hilary felt Bilbo tug her hand and she followed him through the long grass and weeds. She bent down to his level and whispered

"I guess you got your wish, the quest just got exciting"

_A/N- Hey guys long time no see. Sorry I haven't updated in a while but I a going back to school soon and I wanted to get some revision done __ I am doing my leaving cert this year and wow I am tired. People who have done exams will understand. I hope everyone had an awesome New Year and be happy we survived the apocalypse! I will try to update soon and I may start a schedule on when I am going to update._

_Thanks to everyone who has read my story and I find it fun how you are all trying to guess what she is and why she is here :D Keep it up! _

_Have a great weekend! :)_


	9. Not Alone

Branches and leaves crunched underneath their feet as they tip-toed over to another broken tree trunk. They crouched behind it and eyed the three trolls who were now discussing the difference between mutton and horse. Hilary turned to face Bilbo who was shaking like a leaf and his eyes were glued to the trolls.

"Bilbo" she whispered as she put her hand onto his shoulder. He jumped from the sudden contact and slapped his hand over his mouth to prevent the trolls from hearing his startled scream. Luckily the trolls didn't notice.

"What are we going to do?"

Bilbo ran a hand through his messy brown hair and shrugged "I don't know, we could em we could" he stammered. Hilary sighed looking over to the paddock of neighing horses trying to jump over the high ropes.

"Oh I know" Bilbo said snapping his fingers as he thought of an idea "we could make them chase us and then we could hide up a tree, they would think that we would have kept running"

Hilary stared blankly at him "Okay let me rephrase what I just said, _what are we going to do that won't get us __**killed**_!"

Bilbo looked at her offended and scoffed "Well I don't see you coming up with any ideas"

She sighed not wanting to waste time arguing "Yeah you're right, sorry"

"Our only option is to sneak over there unnoticed and try and release the horses" Bilbo offered. Hilary bit her cheek and weighed the chances before breathing out heavily. "Alright but we have to be quick and quiet".

"You stay here or else they will see you. I am smaller and they probably won't notice me" Bilbo said turning to his friend, she was about to argue back; he held a finger to his lips telling her to be quiet "I will have none of that, I am the companies burglar and this is what I signed up for, stay here and alert the others if anything bad happens". She opened her mouth to object but quickly closed it when he gave her a sharp look. She gulped back her words but gave him a small smile and patted him on the shoulder before nudging him forward.

Hilary watched from her hiding spot as Bilbo crept silently towards the paddock of neighing horses. He stroked Daisy's dirty main soothingly before working on the ropes that held the poor horse's prisoner. She watched his eyebrows furrow in concentration as he struggled to loosen the knots. He quickly pulled back one hand and started to blow on it, it must have got cut on the ropes. She glanced down at her pocket and pulled out the knife Kili gave her before she went to rescue the horses. She smiled to herself as she mentally thanked Kili. When she looked back up she noticed that Bilbo disappeared from his spot and was now sneaking behind the troll with the sinus problem. She frowned and swore to herself as she rose from her spot and took a different route from Bilbo's to avoid being seen. She crawled along the earthy ground that was surrounded by tall grass and bushes which hid her from view of the trolls.

One of the trolls stood up to scratch his bottom which gave her a view of Bilbo turning his head in disgust. She snickered silently to herself, crawling a little bit faster so she could give Bilbo the knife.

She emerged out from the grass and whistled to get Bilbo's attention.

Bilbo jumped from the sound and turned in the direction that the sound came from. He spotted Hilary kneeling beside a shrub waving a small pocket knife in the air. He smiled in relief and began to make his way over to her.

Though he didn't make it very far. He gasped as a large hand grabbed him around his middle and lifted right into a trolls face. The troll blew his nose right onto Bilbo, mistaking him for a handkerchief. Hilary's eyes widened in terror "_Shit, this is not good"_ she thought to herself and jumped up from her hiding spot getting ready to run to Bilbo's aid. The troll pulled back and screeched at the sight of Bilbo, snot covered in his hands.

"Oh blimey, look at what came out of me hooter!"

"What is it?" another troll asked stomping over to his friend to examine Bilbo. The troll shook his hand and Bilbo fell to the ground with a dull thump.

"Bilbo!" Hilary screamed as she ran to his side and helped him to his feet. The trolls eyed them curiously

"Look there's another! Where'd they come from?" asked another

"I don't know" another said leaning in closer. Bilbo grabbed a hold of Hilary's sleeve and started to tug "What is yous?"

"I'm a bur-Hobbit!" Bilbo said quickly after Hilary nudged him in the ribs

"A bur-Hobbit? I ain't ever heard of a bur-Hobbit. Can we cook them?"

"We can try" one troll said stomping towards them with his arm extended trying to catch them.

Hilary grabbed Bilbo's arm "Move!" running towards a gap between one of their legs. One hand flew down and separated them from each other. Hilary quickly rolled over just as a foot descended upon her. She grabbed a low branch and hauled herself off the ground and began to zig-zag across the campsite dodging the trolls hands and feet.

"Blimey, it's too quick!" one roared as it narrowly missed Hilary by a centimeter She heard a familiar squeak from behind her and she turned and to see Bilbo caught in one of the troll's hand. Once distracted a hand grabbed her by the legs and lifted her up in the air upside down. She squealed as the troll shook her in front of his face.

"This one would make a nice pie" he laughed

"Are there anymore of you things running about?" another asked poking Hilary in the stomach. Hilary clamped her mouth shut refusing to speak.

"Dangle them over the fire that will get them talking"

Hilary felt herself be lowered over the burning flames. The heat scorched the top of her head. She screamed out in pain, slapping the trolls hand as hard as she could.

"Let them go!" a fierce voice called from the shadows. Hilary looked down to see Kili pointing his sword threateningly at the trolls.

"You what?"

Kili swung his sword, a glint of excitement entered his eyes "I said, drop them" he spat

The troll growled and flung Hilary sending her flying towards Kili. She let out a scream as she collided with him. Kili dropped his sword careful not to stab here when he caught her. He grunted when his back pounded with the earth. Hilary groaned and lifted herself off of Kili chest.

They heard a thud and saw Bilbo beside them groaning in pain. He helped her to her feet. Bilbo scooted over to them as they started to back up slowly towards the bushes.

War cries were heard from the bushes as the company of dwarves ran out towards the trolls. The trolls were taken by surprise as the dwarves attacked at all angles, driving their swords into their legs and feet. The trolls cried out in pain and began swinging their arms in defense While the trolls were distracted Kili pulled Hilary back and sat her down

"Stay here it will be fine"

She nodded in response. From where she sat she saw the whole view of the battle. Ori picked up a rock that was lying by his feet and flung it at a troll's eye sending the beast flying back while he covered his sore eye. After being stabbed with a sword by Fili and Dwalin one troll dropped his sword and Bilbo snuck over and grabbed it before the troll could get up.

Thorin cut the heels of the troll in front of him while Nori and Bofur continued to stab it in the chest and arms. One troll managed to kick off the dwarves that were attacking him and moved his way over to help his friend that Thorin was attacking. The troll stood behind Thorin and raised a foot. Hilary gasped and stood up quickly

"Thorin look out!" she screamed at the top of her voice. Luckily Thorin turned in the nick of time and stabbed the hovering foot above him causing the beast to fall back clutching his bleeding foot. She sighed in relief and turned her gaze to Bilbo who was trying to cut the ropes to free the horses but was finding it hard to lift the sword because it was too heavy for his small arms to lift. She waited a moment until the trolls moved to one side of the camp and ran over to help Bilbo lift the sword.

"Oh thank you" Bilbo was drenched in sweat from fear and effort. Together they lifted the sword and chopped the rope in half. The horses didn't waste anytime getting out; they galloped off into the woods leaving the battle behind.

Hilary felt her ribs being compressed tightly together and all the air left her lungs. A large hand had grabbed her around her waist crushing her in his grip. She cried out in pain and dug her nails deep into the troll's skin. Another troll gripped her arm and legs getting ready to tear her in half.

"Oi!" one troll shouted over the fight. The dwarves looked up in horror at the sight of Hilary in the tight grip of the monsters.

"No!" Kili shouted in terror. He was about to charge forward and help her but Thorin grabbed the hood of his cloak and pulled him back behind him.

"Lay down your arms or we'll rip their's off" one threatened fiercely.

Thorin glared at them, if looks could kill. He threw his sword down to the ground in defeat. Seeing their leader drop his weapon caused the other dwarves to follow suit by flinging their weapons to the earth.

The trolls grinned in triumph. They threw them both to the feet of the dwarves. She let out a cry of pain and clutched her chest. She inhaled shakily trying to hold back the flood of tears that were threatening to break through. Thorin knelt down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist to bring her to a standing position. She was leaning against him for support, if he dared move she would surly topple over.

"Bert, William stays with em, I'll go and get some sacks to hold em" One troll said as he walked out of sight. Two trolls closed the weapon less dwarves into a tight circle making sure that there were no quick exit routes.

Silent tears fell down Hilary's cheek. She wanted to go home; she didn't care if that meant not finding out why she is here. She couldn't believe that this was how it was going to end, being eaten by trolls. She would never see her Mother again or her friends again

She placed her head on Thorin's shoulders taking sharp, shaky breaths. Surprisingly he put his other hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. During the journey Thorin treated her as if she didn't exist only acknowledging her presence when she was in a life risking situation. She gladly relaxed in his embrace being comforted by the thought that she wasn't alone in this situation.

**A/N Hey guys please don't kill me! I haven't updated in a while I know but school got in the way as it does for most of us. I want to thank everyone who has been patient and understanding. I hope that the next update won't be as long but it all depends on if the teachers are in good moods and don't give that much homework :D **


	10. Don't mention it

_**A/N Hi guys... I am sorry about not updating for a while but homework is kinda dominating my life at the moment. I also just want to say a big, giant thank you to everyone you has read my story it means a lot thanks again! :) **_

It didn't take long until the troll arrived back to the campsite with sacks and wood for the fire. A few dwarves were tied to the spit and were being turned over the raging flames despite their yelps of pain. Hilary remained on the ground tied up in a sack along with a few other dwarves and Bilbo with only their heads on show. The trolls were busy cooking the dwarves and arguing with each other over the seasoning. One troll was circling the dwarves on the spit throwing herbs over them every so often

"Hurry up would ye, the dawn be coming soon and I don't fancy on being turned to stone!"

"Ye can just wait! if ye want this done right" the other snapped while turning the spit slowly

Hilary was unable to move, when it was her turn to be stuffed into a sack the troll pulled her away from Thorin's grip and crushed her around the middle, crushing her ribs even more. She glanced down to the rest of the dwarves who were trying to wriggle their way out of the sacks that confined them.

"Wait, wait!" The small voice of Bilbo cried beside her. She looked over to see him raising himself on his knees and hopping over to the Trolls "You are making a terrible mistake!" he said breathlessly. The trolls stared at him but continued on with their work

"You can't reason with them laddie- they're halfwits!" Dori shouted from the spit

"Halfwits!?" Bofur cried while being turned over the flames "What does that make us!?"

"You are going to need something a lot stronger than sage to cook up this lot!" Bilbo said. Hilary opened her mouth in shock "Bilbo? What the hell are you doing!?" she shouted from the ground but Bilbo carried on

"I mean have you smelt them?"

"You're a traitor Baggins!" yelled Gloin

"Oi shh, let the bur-hobbit speak" a troll snapped at Gloin before kneeling down to Bilbo "Now what about the seasoning?" he questioned the frightened Bilbo with interest

"Right, well em the secret to eh cooking dwarf is, eh" Bilbo stuttered trying to find his words

"Hurry up" the troll poked a finger to Bilbo's stomach trying to push the answer out of him.

"Yes, hold on" Bilbo said quickly bobbing on his feet "The secret to cooking dwarf is" Bilbo tilted his head to the side before smiling to himself "Skin them first !" The dwarves gasped and then erupted with anger shouting curses at Bilbo.

Bilbo turned his head to the group of dwarves on the ground and gave them a pleading look which went unnoticed by them for they were too busy yelling to each other about what a traitor Bilbo is but Hilary saw and finally understood his actions, she remembered the trolls saying something about being turned to stone at dawn, Bilbo was stalling them! She couldn't help but smile up at Bilbo for being so clever, it was a brilliant plan but it would probably be ruined by the dwarves who were clueless to his plan.

"What a loud of tosh, I have eaten dwarf before without skinning em" The troll with the lazy eye said picking up Bombour and hovering him over his mouth "Nice and crunchy"

"No-no not that one he is eh, infected with worms!" Bilbo said quickly. The troll gasped in disgust and threw Bombour back onto the pile. Hilary flinched when she thought that the heavy dwarf was going to land onto her but sighed in relief when he landed next to her but ended up landing on Fili and crushing him with his weight.

"Oh god, are you guys okay?" Hilary asked worriedly

"I'm fine lass" Bombour replied trying to catch his breath. Fili mumbled something in response but his mouth was covered by Bombour's sack so she couldn't make out what he said.

"In fact they all have worms, I honestly wouldn't risk it I really wouldn't" Bilbo said shaking his head in disgust.

"Worms! what are you taking about worms I don't have worms, you have worms you dirty liar!" Kili shouted in defense which caused the others to throw insults at Bilbo. Bilbo threw another pleading look to the group and this time Thorin noticed his plans. Thorin remained calm and kicked his nephew on the head causing them all shut up and to look up at Bilbo and notice the look.

"I've got worms as big as my arm!" Oin shouted first, breaking the silence. Kili soon followed after

"You should see my worms, they are huge. I have the biggest worms you have ever seen!" he exaggerated a little bit but thankfully the Trolls have a combined IQ of a peanut.

One troll glared at Bilbo before stomping over to him "So what would you have us do then huh? Let them all go?"

Bilbo nodded slowly "Well I suppose, I mean you wouldn't want to get infected would you? I hear worms are a nasty business" Hilary couldn't help but smirk at Bilbo's cheeky reply.

"I see what your doing ferret!"

Bilbo stood back offended "Ferret!" Just before the troll tried to snatch Bilbo a booming voice shouted from the rocks above

"May the dawn take you all!"

The company looked towards the figure who happened to be Gandalf, the dwarves cheered knowing that nothing would happen to them as long as Gandalf was there.

"Who's that?" one asked

"Dunno" another shrugged "Can we eat him too?"

Gandalf gripped his staff tight and slammed it against the rock and stood to one side as the giant boulder broke in half letting the first light of day hit the clearing. Hilary had never been more happy to see the sun in her life. As soon as the light hit the trolls they wailed in pain, trying to cover their bodies with their hands but slowly they turned to stone. As soon as the last troll stopped moving the dwarves started to cheer with delight and started to mock the beasts. Gandalf made it into the clearing and helped the dwarves out of their hessian confinements. It took three dwarves to help lift Bombour off of the squished Fili. Once freed Fili gasped for air and praised Vala repeatedly. Thorin brushed himself down before turning to help Hilary out of the sack. He used his dagger that he picked up from the pile where the trolls put their weapons to rip the fabric in half. She tried to hoist herself up but gasped in pain and fell back down. Thorin knelt down beside her

"Where does it hurt?"

"I em, I think I cracked my ribs" she breathed slowly. Thorin nodded and supported her by placing a hand on her back "Put your arm around my shoulder so I can lift you" Hilary placed her arm around Thorin's neck and he put his other arm under her legs and lifted her up slowly. She gasped in pain from the new position.

"Gandalf" he called across the clearing to the wizard who was helping extinguish the fire beneath the dwarves on the pit. The old wizard walked over to them and his eyes went grey when he saw the girl in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly taking Hilary's hand and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

"The troll had her in a death grip" Thorin answered.

"Bring her over to this rock so I can get a better look at her" he said pointing over to a flat rock and walking over to it. Thorin followed slowly

"You were a fool" he said suddenly

"What?"

"You heard, why did you not wait for my men and I to aid you and Mr Baggins?"

"Because we had to free the horses and we were trying to avoid a fight. If we waited on you, you would have barged in there" she explained bitterly. She was in no mood to argue.

"We would have came up with a strategy to lure the beasts away" he replied biting his lip down in anger

"And how are you so sure that would have worked?" she challenged "All of us made it out okay, end of story" Thorin stopped in his tracks and looked down at her.

"It is not the end, next time if something happens, you must alert me immediately" She was about to answer him back but he cut her off

"I am the leader of this group, swear to me that you will tell me" he added. She looked up at him and sighed

"Fine I swear" she answered shortly "but what do you care? From what I can remember the first thing you called me was a whore and a liar and you also threatened to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere because I quote It's not your problem" She stared up at him waiting for an answer. He continued to walk over to Gandalf awaiting them over by the rock.

"You are part of this company now whether I like it or not" he paused "But I do recall that you saved my life tonight, if you did not alert me of the trolls presence behind me I would be part of the earth by now" He looked down at her again and he saw the corners of her lips were pulling into a small smile "And for that I am grateful"

"Don't mention it" she shrugged but couldn't help but turn a little pink in the cheeks from being complimented.

"And also if anything happened to you my nephews would never let me hear the end of it"


	11. Have a little faith

As soon as Thorin placed her on the rock seat she knew that some of her previously cracked ribs were probably broken, as they hurt a whole lot worse than they had before. It was like she was being stabbed in the chest after every breath, and she wondered how long it would take for them to heal. With the medicine that Gandalf gave her before, maybe a few weeks? There was a group of monsters after them and she would certainly slow the Dwarves down.

"Hilary?" She looked up to Gandalf who was motioning to her shirt pointedly.

"Oh," Hilary said realizing what he meant. "Right," she mumbled as she tried to unbutton her shirt with one hand while the other rested on her chest as if she was holding her ribs in place.

Beside him Thorin looked down at the ground, coughed uncomfortably and turned to leave "No Thorin we may need your help, could you help her?" Gandalf nodded to her. Thorin shuffled on his feet uncomfortably but made no other sound as he knelt in front of her. His eyes met hers for a moment, almost as if he was asking permission, before he began to unbutton her shirt halfway, revealing her bruised torso. Thorin, slightly red faced quickly got up and left to return to his men. Gandalf took his place and began to poke and prod at her ribs. When he poked an injured rib she hissed in pain

"My apologies" Gandalf murmured. "Though if it's any consolation, that's the first one that's broken."

"Wonderful"

"Four are cracked though," He added.

"Oh joy," she replied dryly, before gasping again when he poked a higher rib on her right side.

"Two broken" He amended quietly as he placed his hand over rib cage and muttered something in an unknown language and beginning to wrap the bandage around her torso.

"What was that? what you were just speaking?" Hilary asked

"That was Sindarin, It is the language of the Sindar, those Teleri which had been left behind on the Great Journey of the Elves"

"So, Elves? This world is full of surprises" she snorted but winced when he wrapped the bandages a little too tight.

"I am sorry that I left you with a band of dwarves that you hardly know" Gandalf said suddenly

"Don't worry about it, Bilbo and I are in the same boat so it wasn't that bad but I do hope that you aren't going to be making disappearances too often" Hilary gripped the stone in pain when he wrapped over a broken rib. She looked down to see his eyes flicker uncomfortably. With her spare hand she raised herself up a bit to stare down at him "You're going to leave again aren't you?"

"I may, depending on the circumstances" he answered shortly. She released a shaky breath

"I heard someone on the cliff a few nights ago" he raised his eyes to look at her "It told me that I shouldn't fear the water because my dad didn't die at sea"

"Was it male or female?"

She shrugged with a breath "I honestly don't know, the voice had different layers to it as if it was more than one person taking" She took a sharp intake "What has my Dad have to do with this?" He refused to look up at her anymore so he returned to covering her torso. She clicked her tongue in annoyance from his silence as she realized that she wasn't going to find out an answer soon. Pinning the bandage in place, he looked up at her.

"Is that too tight?"

She looked down and shifted into a new position to test its flexibility "It's fine" she answered quietly as she began to button her shirt up. Once finished he helped her stand up and kept an arm around her shoulder so she wouldn't fall. He walked her into the clearing and was immediately called over to help release the dwarves that were still stuck to the spit. Before he left he made sure that Hilary was seated comfortably. He held her hand in his own and met her eyes

"I do know that you want answers and I know that it must pain you to hear about your Father but I can honestly say that I do not know that much and that it wouldn't be fair for you to get the wrong information". She pursed her lips and looked down refusing to meet his eye again. He patted her hand and walked over to help the dwarves leaving her to her thoughts.

Ever since the day she arrived to this world, the only thing plaguing her mind were questions and no one seemed to be able to answer them. If Gandalf knew he would have told her, he wouldn't be keeping her in the dark when he knows what she is going through. Yet she doesn't believe him when he says that he doesn't know that much. There is something that he is refusing to tell her. Maybe it is for the better, maybe he can't explain it. If Gandalf wasn't going to explain it, then who was? She ran her hands over her face feeling the bump of the scar as she ran her hand down her neck. Gandalf reassured her that it wouldn't last long, though he wasn't sure about the scar on her stomach for it was deeper and it caused her a lot of damage. It had not struck her until a few minutes ago that this was a dangerous quest. Almost getting eaten by Troll's may not be the worst thing that will happen to them. They still have an Orc pack on their tail which made the Dwarves paranoid. If a bird rattles the branches above they would tighten their weapons in their hands, waiting for an unexpected attack. The night with the Troll's lost them a good nights rest and she could feel her eye lids get heavier and heavier. She placed her head in her hands and gently rocked herself back and forth hoping that Thorin would be merciful and let them sleep for a few hours before they journeyed any further over the country side. That thought was highly unlikely.

* * *

The mere twenty seconds it took her to stand up from the log she was resting on was agony, she didn't know how she was going to survive the long journey ahead of her if she couldn't move five steps without needing to lie down.

"Ah, my Lady we are not quite ready to leave yet so you can take another few moments to rest" Bofur's voice called behind her. His had reached out and placed itself on her shoulder gently.

"Oh, alright" she said turning to face him "how long until everyone is ready to move"

Leading her back to the log he spoke "A few more minutes maybe depending on how fast we can get all of our equipment and supplies ready. We are all so tired, my eyes feel as if there are anchors pulling them down"

"I know how you feel" she chuckled, massaging her eyes. She looked up at Bofur to see a small frown etch across his face "What's wrong?"

"All the horses have bolted, even your white beauty. We will have to go the rest of the journey on foot. The first stoke of bad luck on our long journey"

"Do you think there will be more bad things to come?"

"Oh more than likely, knowing our luck" he snorted and patted her on the back before resting his hands on his knees. The company around them were running back and fourth through the woods gathering their supplies from the campsite. Thorin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili went in search of a cave that the Troll's used to hide away from the light of day. Gandalf mentioned that there must be treasure to be found inside the dwelling. The silence between them grew longer as they watched the company move back and forth and out of the corner of her eye she saw Bofur rubbing his hands up and down his legs, obviously uncomfortable from the lingering silence. It was many weeks into the journey and Hilary had only gotten to know the company on a first name bases other than Gandalf, Balin Kili, Fili and Bilbo. Seeing that they were doing nothing, she thought it was a good time to get to know one more Dwarf.

"Mr Bofur?"

"Yes lass"

"What do you plan to do, you know...after the journey, after you guy's reclaim your home?"

Bofur eyes lit up at the question. He had never expected her to start a conversation with him. They spoke briefly once in a blue moon but they never actually sat down and spoke about their lives. He sat up straighter

"Well, after we reclaim Erebor we will stay and restore the old mountain back to it's former glory. It will take very long you see, getting from one side of the mountain to the other takes a good few hours, we will need a lot of hands to help us. The dwarves from the Blue mountain will come, hopefully one in particular" he trailed off

"Is it okay for me to ask who?"

"Ketundi Balgomduum" he sighed "Well I am not so sure if she still carries her maiden name"

"She is married?"

"I'm not sure. The Lady is one of the most fairest in all of the kingdoms, Dwarves pile up on her doorstep to ask for her hand in marriage. Our Fathers used to work in the mines before her Father became blind, though they are still good friends mind you. Father goes to see him when he leaves work to tell him tales of the mines. I was lucky that she placed her love with me. It made my day run faster knowing that I would be able to see her at the end of it. On the way to her cottage I used to pick the most gorgeous Daisy's that grew along the path. Before I left, she promised that she would wait for me to return but that was months ago. When I was only a week away from the mountain I received word in the town I was passing through, of her Brothers death. I was struck with guilt for I was not there to hold her and whispering calming words into her ear at night to help her sleep. I even thought to turn around and to abandon Thorin but I swore to her that I would win back Erebor. Her Mother and two sisters were incinerated the day Smaug came, they were selling beads in Dale when it happened. Luckily she escaped. She was only wee when it happened. I hope that she is not promised to someone but if they were there for her when I was not, I can do nothing. She would not belong to me anymore"

He felt a weight on his shoulder and glanced to the side. One of Hilary's hands rested on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"It's not your fault that you weren't there for her Brothers death and she wouldn't blame you for not being there. You just got to have a little faith"

That was a nice saying, he should probably remember it. Bofur looked down at the girl and flashed her a small smile

"Thanks Lass, for listening. I once had this conversation with Mr Dwalin but he only said that I was a pansy for not bedding her sooner" he chuckled

"No problem, if you ever need to vent I'm your girl" she said before she joined him in the laughing.

"We will be leaving now" Thorin's voice got their attention and they immediately stopped laughing. Bofur bounced up from his seat and helped Hilary off of the log "Bofur help the girl walk. We do not need her falling"

The girl? Well back to square one it seems. Putting her arm around Bofur's shoulders he helped her walk over to the awaiting group. Soon enough they were on the road again.

* * *

**A/N- Hey guy's *holds hands up in defense* please don't kill me! I am so sorry for not updating in a while. I have been unbelievably packed with homework and exams to study for and I also got a job to earn money for collage so I've been a little busy. I am currently bed-ridden with a broken leg. I was walking down the stairs in school and I tripped over my own two feet and fell down two flights of stairs, ouch. So I have a little time off so I hope to write a little and get this story back on track.**

**Thanks again to everyone who has read/reviewed and favorited this story. Talk to you soon :)**


	12. Out of sight

It only took the company a short time to locate the cave where the trolls held their hoard of stolen treasure that they stole from the villages they pillaged and men they ate. Deep in the cave, jewels and Elven swords covered in cobwebs were found. With much persuasion from Gandalf, Thorin finally took one of the swords and placed it inside his empty holster. Hilary waited outside with Bilbo as they refused to enter the cave for when they stood only a few feet away from it, it gave off a terrible stench. They both excused themselves of the group and sat on a near by log allowing Hilary some relief off her feet. She kept her eyes on the cave, watching the dwarves exit with more tools in their hands then when they had entering.

It seemed her earlier conversation with Bofur went better then she expected for when he came out of the dark space he called her name immediately and hustled over to where she sat. His left hand was hidden behind his back.

"This is no toy" he said sternly "Hold out your hands" Hilary cocked her head to the side attempting to see what he was hiding but did as asked. She didn't have to wait much longer as he pulled his arm around and placed a slender sword into the palms of her hands slowly. Using her fingers she traced the metal. She pulled lightly at the end, pulling it out of it's sheath but it refused to move. Her cheeks grew red with embarrassment. After a few more failed attempts Bofur was about to intervene but determination already took over her and with a harder pull the sword shot out quickly causing her to drop it out of fright. Bofur tutted and picked it up.

"Be more careful lass,don't cut yourself"

Sheepishly, she took it from his hands with more care. The silver blade glinted beneath the light, and she turned it over in her palm, marveling at the skills of the sword maker. The leather hilt fitted into her hand easily, like it had been custom designed for her only. She traced the carvings on the hilt, her fingers lingered over the moonstones that had been melded into it.

She smiled up at him "It's so skinny"

"And so are you, it's a perfect match" he chuckled and tossed her hair "Although it won't chop a orc's head off but it will put a few holes in em if you're quick enough" He watched her tip it lightly back and forth "How does it feel? Do you like the balance?"

She gripped it harder and raised an eyebrow "I think so?" Bofur pursed his lips and helped her guide the sword back into it's sheath.

"First lesson in sword fighting, stick em with the pointy end" he smirked and walked away.

"Very funny" she called after him. From where she sat she heard a commotion coming from the dwarves. The group of dwarves hurried to their weapons. Pulling her hair behind her ears she listened. Loud thumps of something small were drawing closer to them. Were they under attack?

"Arm yourselves," Gandalf commanded answering her inner question, his sword ready for an attack. Hopping off the log she limped over to the dwarves who were hurrying her over and circled her and Bilbo inside them out of sight. A small man wearing rugged brown clothes on a sleigh pulled by rabbits rushed through the bushes. Although it wasn't a frightening scene, Hilary jumped. The sleigh came to a halt near Gandalf who smiled at the man.

"Radagast," the wizard welcomed the man like he was an old friend. "Radagast the Brown. What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf questioned, his voice unsure of the man's presence.

"Why, I was looking for you Gandalf" the wizard said with a smile before turning serious "Something's wrong, something is terribly wrong!" Radagast insisted, earning a raised eyebrow from Gandalf.

"Yes?"

The brown wizard opened his mouth to speak but his mouth slowly turned into a frown. He opened his mouth then stopped once more.

"Just a minute," he muttered to himself more than Gandalf. The company groaned at the man's forgetfulness "I thought-!" He squirmed uneasily, looking to Gandalf. "It was right here, on the tip of my tongue. Oh! It's not a thought at all. It's a-" Gandalf reached down and pulled a larges stick insect from Radagast's mouth earning a few grimaces from the company behind. A few of the members already took a seat on the ground already bored by the man.

Gandalf led Radagast away into the trees, taking his pipe out and lighting it and giving the brown wizard the first inhalation. They stood so far that the dwarves could not hear the conversation. Bilbo looked up at Hilary who was standing closer to the conversation in hopes that she could hear but she shrugged down at him and joined him on the soil. All they could see was the brown wizard handing a cloth covered object to Gandalf who tucked it carefully into his cloak

A low, gruesome howl echoed in the woods bringing everyone on edge and ending the conversation instantly.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked standing up. Hilary stood also by grabbing Bilbo's coat for support, she looked over at Bofur who took a step forward

Bofur's eyes widened. "Wolves? No, that is not a wolf."

A growl came from behind Hilary and Bilbo causing them to scatter. Hilary turned around to see the giant wolf-like beast that she described to the dwarves earlier on and fear struck her heart. Nori ran from his place in front of the them to stab the creature in the stomach. Another growl and a second creature made its way down the hill, jumping towards Fili and Thorin. Kili took his bow and aimed his arrow and struck the beast down. For safe measure Thorin embedded his sword deep into it's skull killing the beast for sure

"Warg Scouts!" Thorin declared pulling the sword out of the beast head "Which means an Orc pack isn't far behind."

"Orc pack?" Bilbo and Hilary whispered in unison.

Gandalf angrily moved towards Thorin. "Beyond your kin who did you tell about your quest?"

Thorin's face darkened with offence "No one."

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf repeated with more force

"Take my word, no one I swear" Thorin yelled "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted" Bilbo swallowed and gripped Hilary's hand when he noticed her still from the hearing of Orc's. He remembered her being not only a few hours in this world and being hunted by them.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin yelled over to Thorin who nodded in agreement

"We can't" Ori said "We have no ponies, they all bolted." They were all panicking as they heard several howls and dangerous growling drawing nearer, and they were quickly losing all hope of escape.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast declared

"These are Guldur Wargs" Gandalf said "They'll outrun you."

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits" Radagast said insatiably and his chin held high "I would like to see them try."

After a moment of contemplation Gandalf agreed and turned his attention on Hilary who stood leaning against a tree, utterly terrified and clutching her rib cage tighter.

"Hilary can't run, someone will have to carry her" he stated turning to the dwarves

"She can ride with me if she can hold on tight enough" Radagast offered as he pulled the lead on his rabbits. The dwarves immediately protested saying it was too dangerous.

"Enough!" Thorin shouted "We need everyone to be able to fight, she would slow us down" He turned his attention on her, his gaze hard "Go with Radagast" Hilary could hardly object as he strode over and picked her up. He placed her down onto the sleigh and she wrapped her arms and legs tightly around the bars. Radagast took his place behind her and adjusted the reigns.

"And what then?" Gandalf gaped at Thorin's actions "How do you expect them to return to us?" He argued pointing at her

"I will out smart them in the forest Gandalf, no one knows these woods like I do" Radagast assured "I will keep her safe"

Gandalf didn't seem too assured by his friends words but didn't speak another word as the howls became louder. Gandalf nodded and ran off into the foliage of the forest with the rest of the dwarves. Bilbo stood unable to decided what to do

Bofur came closer and smiled sadly "Remember stick em with the pointy end if anything goes wrong" Hilary nodded and buried her head deeper into the bar. Bofur picked up his supplies and grabbed Bilbo by the collar and ran off leaving Hilary alone with the brown wizard and possibly death.

* * *

"Are you ready?" she heard Radagast ask, she mumbled her reply but it seemed good enough for him as he thrashed the reins causing the rabbits to spring to life and glide across the ground as quick as lightening. She squeaked as she felt her grip loosen but quickly regained herself. Her ribs stung from her crouched position but she had no thought of moving.

The light cascaded through the tree's as they shot out of the forest. She could hear Radagast taunt the beasts chasing them and also his call's to his woodland friends to run faster. The wizard was right; the Rhosgobel rabbits were very quick indeed it was hard for her to keep a steady grip. She dared to moved her head around the bar to look at the scene behind her and regretted it instantly. The Orc's and Wargs were chasing close behind. One was close enough to be snapping at the heels of the wizard but soon fell behind as the rabbit's proved faster and smarter, with the advantage of knowing the plains by experience.

Radagast made a sharp turn left, leading the Orc s closer to the group, and they hurried, most on short legs, to take cover behind boulders. Hilary thumped his leg with her head and made him turn quickly before he led them too close to the company. Luckily he turned and ducked under a slanted rock causing two riders to hit their heads and fall off their rides, however it did not stop the Wargs from chasing after them. She looked back to the dwarves and saw them running off again, luckily without any riders after them. The rabbit's started to run up a cliff with plenty of coverage for them to escape

Luck seemed to be having their side, that was until the rabbit's started running over rocky terrain making the ride a lot bumpier. Sweat started to form onto the hand's as she held on for dear life. One hand slipped from the bar and she screeched alerting Radagast. The wizard moved his legs shielding her from falling. The rabbit's took a sharp turn causing her other hand to rip off the bar, burning her hand. She fell against his legs almost causing him to fall off himself if he didn't have such a strong grip on the reigns. Her body violently swung around once they turned over the edge of the cliff causing her to slip between the gap between his legs and fall out of the sleigh.

"No!" she heard Radagast cry as she tumbled off. The remaining of the Wargs took notice of this and chose to chase her but it was too late. Once they ran after her, her body had already fallen over the rocky edge and out of sight.

* * *

**A/N Uh-oh what will happen? **

**Again I must apologize for not updating sooner I have been studying like made for school so it's been fun. I was online for the first time in weeks and I felt as though I was losing touch with this story so I looked it up and re-read the story again. I chose to re-write most of the chapters as I didn't like how I wrote them back then. **

**Thank you to everyone once again you guy's are amazing! -Mintyrobe :) **


	13. Going North

_"No!" she heard Radagast cry as she tumbled off. The remaining of the Wargs took notice of this and chose to chase her but it was too late. Once they ran after her, her body had already fallen over the rocky edge and out of sight._

The water pushed down on her from all sides. The more she struggled the more disorientated she got. Up down, left right, nothing made any sense anymore she pushed with her arms and legs but she could find no leverage, for all she knew she was pushing herself further down. Her lungs burned for more air even though she knew she would get none. Her mouth instinctively opened for air which she instantly regretted. Icy-cold water flooded in, her throat burned as if a thousand needles had been plunged into it. She desperately clawed at the water, trying to shoot to the surface while her lungs filled with the slimy liquid and she convulsed uncontrollably. Blood pounded behind her eyes. The darkness engulfed her and she had nothing left in her to fight anymore.

She gave into the darkness and let the water take her.

All that was left was flashes. She saw flashes of things, the living world, she assumed. The bright sun. Wet, black hair settling against her cheek and forehead. Yelling. Frantic yelling. The afterlife was not as peaceful and calm as she had imagined it to be. It didn't make much sense. But who said that dying was easy?

* * *

It seemed to be a long time before she was aware of herself again. The steady rise and fall of her chest confirmed that she was breathing. Gradually she emerged from her deep sleep, her confused brain frantically tried to explain not only where she was, but what had actually happened.

Slowly rising from the depths of oblivion, feeling returning to her fingers and toes, she grunted, rolled over and curled up more tightly, wrapping the piece of fur that covered her tighter around her shoulders. At that moment she couldn't care where it came from all that mattered was trying to compromise from the lack of warmth.

Something about the atmosphere surrounding them didn't seem right, so cautiously opening one eye. Something rough touched her forehead. She froze unable to think of what it could be. Whatever it was, it was rough and firm which did not help the throbbing pain in her head. Her head ached and her rib cage was searing with pain.

What happened?

Then it all came flooding back. Everything that had happened up until this moment. The Orc's and Wargs, Falling from Radagast's sleigh, Darkness.

She couldn't decipher the lights behind her eyes. They flashed in different shades and patterns, leaving her ever confused. It seemed like a long time until she was able to open her eyes. The sight of a strange, dark haired man in front of her face both startled and confused her. The man smiled down at her, most of his teeth were either yellow or missing. She felt her nose cringe when the man let out a deep sigh

"Well you took you're time didn't ya?" he moved from her side into a standing position "Saw ya fall from the cliff so I did, thought to myself you wouldn't make it after that fall, but went in after ya anyway just to make sure. Ain't you lucky?" Hilary stared at the cliff wondering even just by the fall, how she managed to survive without being skewered. Her gaze shifted back to the man who was hunched over a fire turning two skinned rabbit's slowly. She turned when she saw his grey eye look back at her through the long strands of black hair "You a mute boy?" he groaned when she shook her head in reply "Well, say something then boy"

She studied him carefully. Hilary didn't know what to make of this man. His clothes were black and rugged just like his hair. Instead of his left eye there was an empty space. There was no safe feeling about his man, his appearance and gruffness veered far away from that feeling.

He narrowed his eyes at her before turning back to his cooking "My name is Geffroi for starters then, what's yours?"

"Hilary" she mumbled in reply

"What?"

"Hilary" she said a little louder but her voice broke in the middle. Her hand reached up to her throat and massaged it pushing a cough up. He muttered her name under her breath

"Strange name" he grunted "what's your family name eh?"

"You didn't give me yours" she stated

Geffroi turned his head and glared at her causing her gaze to drop to the soil "Haven't got one, I'm a bastard child now spit yours out then"

"I haven't got one either" she lied, thinking it best not to tell the man the full truth "I never knew my parents"

"Well then, that makes thing easier"

Hilary furrowed her eyebrows in confusion "Excuse me?"

Geffroi pulled the two rabbits off the stick and placed one in her hand "Eat up boy, you're ought to be hungry" Hilary didn't hesitate to lift the meat up to her mouth and take a bite out of it, he was right she was hungry. She had never gone so long without food before because she was never in a state where she could not open a fridge door and nibble at the contents inside. So she gladly accepted the rabbit even though she was repulsed by the idea of eating a creature such as a rabbit, her stomach chose for her instead of her brain. They ate in silence until Geffroi stood and discarded of the bones into a nearby bush. Hilary let her eyes follow him as he walked over to his rug sack and pull out heavy cloth the same colour as his clothes. He trudged back and she felt extra weight fall onto her knees and looked down to see that he threw the cloth onto her lap.

"Put those on, you're gonna need it" he said pointing over to the cover of the trees. Without protest, Hilary stood and limped her was over to the woods and made sure she was well hidden before peeling off the wet outfit that Kili gave her and quickly stepping into the new black garb. While she tried t figure out the laces and buckles she turned her mind to the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf. Where were they? Did they escape? Were they okay?

Would she ever see them again?

She ripped off a piece of her old clothes and stuffed them into the toes of the boots. She sighed and patted herself down, the clothes he gave her were too large for her frame and made her look quite boyish but then again they had no shelter from the cold night air so maybe it wasn't so bad. Leaving her old clothes behind her she left the woods and made her way back into the clearing. Geffroi stood from his log when he saw her come out tucking her shirt down into her pants

"They're too big" she complained

"They are as big as needed boy" he said walking towards her, pulling a skinning knife out of his sleeve when he was in arms length of her "Come here" She gasped and stepped back almost tumbling over but was caught by her wrist and hauled into his chest. Letting out a cry of panic she struggled out of sheer habit until a hard slap across the face left her stunned. She felt herself being pushed against a wall and recovered just enough to understand what the foul-smelling old man said next.

"Be quite boy" he ordered holding her in place with his leg while he brought his hand to take a few strands of her hair into his grasp

"I'm not a boy!" she cried clawing her nails into his chest. He pulled down on her hair and placed his knife behind it

"So you're saying you're not a smart boy huh?" he asked pulling the knife towards him cutting the strands off and letting them pool at her feet "We're going north boy and the men who are coming with us wouldn't hesitate taking advantage of ya, this is the way it has to be boy" he roughly explained cutting off more strands of hair.

She froze in fear, and shivered in disbelief. The moment she felt a tickle on her pale ice cold dry cheeks, she couldn't hold the feeling inside any longer and let the hot salty river flow out of her eyes and leaving long red streaks down her cheeks. Her eyes were screaming for justice with each translucent trickle of emotion.

"If you keep that up boy you'll blow your cover and I won't be able to fight twenty rapers, thieves and murderous to get to you, you hear me?" he turned her around and started to cut the lose strands there.

"I need to find a group of dwarves" she whispered more to herself than to him

"Dwarves? what we're ya doing with dwarves?" he questioned but received no response as she bit her lip refusing to tell him anything "I am not going to waste my time looking for dwarves boy, we're heading north and we are sticking to that plan unless you want to stay here?" she shook her head causing him to chuckle "That's what I thought Haylan, that's your name now boy better remember it. Haylan the orphan boy from Bree, no one will ask an orphan any questions cause no one gives two shits about them" he turned her to him so he could observe his work and nodded "It will have to do, what's your name boy?" he quizzed shaking her by the shoulders.

"Haylan" she answered bitterly glaring up at the larger man

"Good" he gripped her under the arm and pulled her with him. He picked up his bags and gave one of them to Hilary who almost dropped it from it's weight. Geffroi tutted and ushered her to follow him deeper into the woods. She found it hard to keep up with his large strides and found herself falling behind. He stopped and waited on her to catch up, he pulled the bag from her hands and muttered to himself before pulling her along "Hurry along boy, we don't want to be late"

* * *

**A/N - Things have certainly took a turn for the worse for her haven't they? **

**Thank you again guys, the reviews have to amazing! 3 -MintyRobe**


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